Compañía Kaari & Roni Martin’s premiere production Anna Karenina can be seen at Cirko’s studio Maneesi from 22 March to 2 April 2018. The company breaks down the conventions of performing arts by, for example, having the audience sit at the table with the performers. Anna’s husband, Count Karenin, is played by Jorma Uotinen, who will be doing his first dancing role in a long time.

Compañía Kaari & Roni Martin’s Anna Karenina is an adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's classic novel. The main focus is on the love triangle between Anna, her husband Karenin, and Count Vronsky. At the same time, the timeless piece serves as a commentary on the modern world.

In Tolstoy’s novel, both Anna and her lover Vronsky seek escape in love. Anna is prepared to take on the world for love, but rather than making her feel alive, love takes life away from her, says dramatist Atro Kahiluoto.

The piece extends this theme, exploring the many things we humans find escape in. The world of Anna Karenina was very much about living on the razor's edge: things were spiralling fast towards the revolution and the First World War. History repeats itself, and the Last Supper we see in the opening scene continues all the way through. The doomsday clock has never been closer to midnight, but people choose escapism and the orchestra continues to play until the very end, says Kaari Martin, choreographer and one of Compañía Kaari & Roni Martin’s two artistic directors.

Strong stage presence and musical fusion.

The roles of Anna Karenina and Count Vronsky are played by Mariana Collado and Carlos Chamorro, the company’s Spanish go-to dancers. Count Karenin is played by Jorma Uotinen.

Mariana and Carlos both have huge versatility of expression and a strong stage presence. They are unfazed by nothing on stage. For the role of Count Karenin, we needed to find someone who could hold his own against the Spanish duo – this was to make sure all three main characters measured up against each other. Only a seasoned, unique artist like Jorma Uotinen could fill these boots, explains Martin.

As with every piece, the music is written by Roni Martin. His compositions are key to the company’s unique expression. The music for Anna Karenina mixes flamenco with Tom Waits -inspired elements and Brechtesque echoes to form a hypnotic entity which, together with the performers, takes the audience on a journey into a warped world that is characteristic to the company’s works.

WELCOME TO COUNT KARENIN’S BALL!

Why is all this done? We will all be put to our graves, and there will be nothing left of us. And it will be the same with me. Why? -ANNA KARENINA

Compañía Kaari & Roni Martin is pleased to invite You to share a dinner at Count Karenin’s festive table! A doomsday orchestra plays the last waltz under the gleam of crystal chandeliers. Ice sculptures melt away on trays. A bear dances. Love will not be our saving grace.

“The artists in Compañía Kaari & Roni Martin are phenomenal in their ability to take inspiration from the classics and use this inspiration to create an artistic universe that is all their own. This comes from having a thorough knowledge of the traditions, a keen sense of history, impeccable technical skills, and a creative approach to doing things. A piece with a distinctive voice, and free from conventions.”-TS

Press REleases

Compañía Kaari & Roni Martin’s new work KILL Carmen premieres at Helsinki Festival in August 28-30. Roni Martin leads an orchestra of nine members that fluently mixes funk, flamenco and Balkan influences. In the dance roles we see Spanish flamenco dancers Mariana Collado and Carlos Chamorro.

The absurd and impudent world of KILL Carmen laughes at the death itself. Different art forms melt together when this powerful international artist group takes over the Cable Factory’s Pannuhalli.

”We wanted to create a piece for stage that crushes the romantic images related to Carmen. Prosper Merimée’s original story is brutal right from the start, and as for the French Merimée, also for us it is easy to observe Spanish culture with outsider’s eyes. Luckily our Spanish artists are already used to our humour”, says Kaari Martin.

Group of international artists on stage

In the role of Carmen we see a rising young Spanish dancer Mariana Collado and as a bullfighter Carlos Chamorro, who has received many awards and also leads his own experimental group in Spain.

In the live-orchestra of nine top musicians play Spanish flamenco virtuosos Juan Antonio Suárez Cano, Victor Carrasco and Pablo Suárez, Finnish percussionist Karo Sampela who plays in some of the most important Spanish flamenco groups, and a classical violinist Henrik Perelló who has worked as a leader at the Savonlinna Opera Festival and Finnish National Opera. In the wind instruments play Antero Priha, Samppa Leino and Erno Haukkala. Composer Roni Martin leads the orchestra and will also be heard as a vocalist and electric guitarist. Artist professor and theatre director Atro Kahiluoto is in charge of directing the work together with Martins.

Internationally awarded Compañía Kaari & Roni Martin's works are known for their strong, rough and yet beautiful aesthetics. This company open-mindedly renews flamenco by combining flamenco technique to the freedom of contemporary dance creating a seamless wholeness of music and dance. Roni Martin's music speaks for the versatility of the composer himself; the songs are based on flamenco's form and language but the rich end result is somewhere between funk and Balkan music.

Press release

Kaari Martin has been granted The Finnish Cultural Foundations Award for outstanding cultural achievement. The prize is worth 30 000 euros. The award was given for the reasons described as follows:

"Kaari Martin has renewed flamenco tradition open-mindedly and in a manner that has attracted admiration not only in Finland, but also in Spain, the birthplace of flamenco. For example in 2012, the group won first prize in all categories open to a solo choreography in the worlds most important flamenco choreography competition. Compañía Kaari & Roni Martin is one of the foremost contemporary flamenco groups and its work has toured in twelve different countries. The group has brought Nordic perspective to the Andalusian dance and expanded the narrative themes of flamenco: among the topics of the pieces are, among others, the Finnish national epic Kalevala, the Little Mermaid, Pippi Longstocking as well as Sibelius Violin Concerto. At the center, however, is always uncompromised artistic expression where dance and music merge into a single entity. Kaari Martin is a brave and open-minded artist who breaks boundaries, but at the same time is constantly creating something new."